Australia
Mackenzie Arnold Called into action early and pulled off some top-drawer saves to deny Sweden, particularly with her diving effort to keep out Filippa Angeldal’s attempt late in the first half. Couldn’t do anything to stop either goal. 6
Steph Catley Whipped in some dangerous crosses, but too often there was no one in the box to meet them. Important interventions in defence. 6
Clare Polkinghorne Had a nervy start and her wayward back pass nearly cost Australia a second goal. Recovered to read the play well and had a chance to pull one back, only to steer her effort straight at Zećira Mušović. 5
Clare Hunt Accidentally clipped Stina Blackstenius to concede a penalty. She was on hand to do some crucial tidying up at the back, but couldn’t withstand Sweden’s attack. 6
Ellie Carpenter Important clearances early on, but was easily turned by Blackstenius too often. Did get forward and combined well with Hayley Raso in attack in the first half. 5
Kyra Cooney-Cross Hustled hard in the midfield, alongside Katrina Gorry, to try and put her team into attacking positions. Showed her powerful right foot that tested Sweden’s goalkeeper from distance. 6
Katrina Gorry Was full of passion that occasionally boiled over. Dropped deep to help out in defence and was busy on the ball going forward. Squared up with Kosovare Asllani late in the second half as tensions grew. 6
Hayley Raso Showed her pace and strength and was always there to pounce on the loose ball. Had the Matildas best chance of the first half when she switched to the left with Caitlin Foord going to the right. Her good tournament came to an end in the second half when she was replaced by Cortnee Vine. 6
Caitlin Foord Tracked back to defend, often interchanging with Catley. Was strong going forward, coming together with Asllani in a full contact clash. 5
Mary Fowler Showed some good early control and glimpses of vision, but on too many occasions was second to the ball in midfield and got caught out in possession. 5
Sam Kerr Put enormous pressure on Sweden’s defence, often getting away from her marker. Drew some top saves from the goalkeeper, but there were no heroics from the forward as the Matildas failed to create any clear-cut chances. 5
Substitutes
Emily Van Egmond Into the action immediately as Australia tried to regain some control. 5
Cortnee Vine Replaced Raso in the second half and got into some dangerous areas, but couldn’t break through Sweden’s defence. 5
Courtney Nevin Replaced Carpenter with just over 15 minutes of the match remaining but didn’t do much of note. 5
Alex Chidiac Came on for Polkinghorne to enjoy precious few minutes of her World Cup campaign. 5
Sweden
Zećira Mušović Was called into action on numerous occasions and didn’t always look convincing, needing a couple of attempts to claim the ball. Denied Polkinghorne with a reflex save from close range. 7
Nathalia Bjorn Defended well and got forward early, with most of Sweden’s attacking play coming down the right. Busy up and down the flank and clearly enjoyed taking on Foord and Catley. 7
Amanda Ilestedt Did well against her Arsenal teammate Foord and was assertive in defence against Kerr. Deserves much credit for keeping a clean sheet. 7
Magdalena Eriksson Good positioning, but didn’t have many touches of the ball particularly in the first half. Did well to hustle Raso off the ball in the second half and preserve the clean sheet. 7
Jonna Andersson Easily cleared the danger and did well to push Raso and Foord into wide positions. Contributed well to Sweden’s attack. 7
Filippa Angeldal Did well to pick up the ball in space and turn players. Her dipping shot from outside of the box nearly tested Arnold. 7
Elin Rubensson Was patient on the ball and showed excellent strength and grit to outmuscle her opponent. An eye for a deft pass to create attacking options. She forced 15 turnovers, a telling statistic. 8
Kosovare Asllani Dictated play early on playing the No 10 role. Frustrated Gorry and clashed with Foord, but recovered to score a stunner in the second half to double Sweden’s lead. 8
Johanna Kaneryd Combined well with Asllani and Blackstenius to put pressure on Australia’s defence. Was stopped by Catley just before she pulled the trigger. 7
Fridolina Rolfö A top performance. Her first half header just glanced off the crossbar, but she made no mistake with Sweden’s penalty in the first half that set up the victory. Pressed excellently in the second half. 8
Stina Blackstenius Enjoyed plenty of the ball and did so well with her back to goal, holding up the ball and creating numerous chances. A superb performance. 8
Substitutes
Rebecka Blomqvist Replaced Blackstenius in the second half and caused more trouble for Australia’s defence as Sweden looked the more likely to score late on. 5
Lina Hurtig The Arsenal forward came on for Asllani in the second half with the match all but won. 5
Linda Sembrant Came on for injury time and had no time to make any impact. 4
